Manufacture of calcium barbid, &amp;c.



No. 872,351. PATENTED DEC. 3; 1597.

J. 0. KING. MANUFACTURE OF CALCIUM OARBID, (Kw;

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1904.

FIG.

INVENTOR: WITNESSES: F W 2 9% .1 I Alto zeys,

0W C fla p i fj 20 lime and carbon is fed into and around the 46 ton of carbi JESSE CRITZ KING, OF ST, GATHARINES 'CARBIDEWORKS COMPAQ; Y O? A CORPORATION OF ONTARIO.

MANUFAGTURE OF CALCIUM CARBID, 80c,

Specification of Letters latent.

Patents :lpplicntion filed Isnnary 5. 1904; Serial No. 187,836.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jsqssn Cnrrz time, a citizen of the United States, resid at St. Catharines, in the Province of Ontario, Can-- 6 ada, have invented certain newend useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Cal-- 'cimn Carbid, &c., of which the ieiiowing is s. specification.

One object of this invention is to produce 10 calcium carbid (or the like} which devoid,

or substantially so, ,of crust.

Another object is to avoid, or reduce to a minimum, the necessity for rehandling or working over and over again the powdered mixture of lime and carbon, which in. existing processes is taken from the furnace surroundin the pig or ingot of carbid.

Tn existing processes as applied for producingcalcium carbid, the mixture of powdered zone of fusion between or adjacent to the carbon terminals or pencils o). the e ctric furnace, only the central portion T418, terial being fused and reduced, so tilt the 26 pig of carbld is surrounded by a mass of t:

punreduced owdered mixture. The i ortion of t e pig is practically cure carbid;

but its outer portion consists of a crust which is composed wholly or chiefly of the uhre 80 duced mixture which by the boat has been so far fused as to form a dense hard layer, It

is customary after the ig cools to chisel oil this crust, which is or inarilv treated as a Waste product, being unsalable except when 85 some carbidis removed with it, and r then the as'content of the crust is ordi y less than alf that of pure carbid. for a given weight. Commonly the crust thrown away, since attempts to utilize it by regrind- 40 ing and mixing with additional coke have not roved successful. The odor given out public nuisance.

Accordin to existin practice, for each produced, rom two to four s of the powdered mixture surrounding the pig has to be disposed of by being can ack, mixed with fresh material, and

fed to the furnace. The nnredu comes from the furnace very hot, impracticable to cool it because iexposing it to the air, which results n ing out a large proportion of the carb Evil intervals,

ONIARIO, CANADA, ASFIGNORTO THE WILLSON FARINES, LIMITED, OF ST. OATHARINES, CANADA,

6. Dec. 3, 1907.

I to avoid this loss the effort is made to keep the material from the air and to handle it as,

quickly as possible, and to return it quickly to the furnace.

The inevitable loss of carbon by combustion in the material has to be hon.

restored by adding a proportion of fresh car- The handling of this hot material causes rapid deterioration of the elevatin an d conveying machinery.

the practical manufacture of Efforts have been made in duce a crustless carbid and a The losses an inconveniences entailed by the necessity of working over the unreduced material, constitute one of the most serious problems in calcium carbid. Europe to provoid the necessity of rehandling unreduced material by tapping the liquid carbid from the furnace at As carbid solidifies at an extremely high temperature, it is very difficult to tap it. Before tapping the carbid it is necessary to force a heavy current throu h mess to fuse and thoroughly liquefy t ie chill in the tap hole. the more dificult carbid, as otherwise it will not run or will The purer the oarbid it is to liquefy it and successfully tap it; hence the common practice is to make a lowgrade carbid crocess. With this process by the tapping the output er nurse-power day is so much lower than t at produced in ingot furnaces t hat the tap ed carbid is more costly than the ingot carbi in proportion to its yield of gas,

so that tapped car-bid can not commercially compete with ingot carbid notwithstanding that the latter is subject to the losses hereinbefore pointed out incident to the removal and waste of its crust and the handling of mixture.

The process which I will hot unreduoed proceed to describe produces a pig or ingot of carbid havoi" hot unreduced mixture either entirely or nearly so I ing no crust, the outer surface of the pig havby t e dump pile of crust makes it a serious ing substantially the same nor.

as its inteto be avoided According to my invenr ion,-instoad of c crust is formed,the .zon confined or circumscribed w suitable refractory material,

4 'ntaining a zone effusion within. a mass of 1 mixture to be treated so led by an outer layer of so that in the iinel product be S111? is mixture, an 1ntervene of fusion is so ithin a wall of that the entire as the 1 mixture is compelled to enter the zone of in sion so as to be completely reduced therein. The zone of fusion may extend above the oncumscribing Wall, but must extend within it,

5 so that this Wall (which for convenience I will designate a die) determines the outer boundary of at least the lower part of the zone of fusion, so that all of the powdered mixture which enters within this wall is fused and reduced. The fused material within the wall or die opening is supported on the ig or ingot .of solidified carbid beneath.

rom time to time, or continuously, a feedin movement is effected whereby the carbid is' owered relatively'to the .die and zone of fusion. This movement results in the newly formed liquid carbid being carried away from the are or zone of fusion, so that the powdered mixture above may descend, into the zone of fusion, and beihg fused and reduced,

soli its mass.

from which it is'.discl1arged and solidifies into may enter the die. As'the fused carbid is fe'd below the zone of fusion it begins to cool,

and when separated to a sufficient distance it congleals or solidifies upon its exterior, the

'fication gradually extending inward as it descends, until it becomes solid throughout Thus the entire powdered mixture is fused by passing it insubstantially continuous manner through the zone of fusion,

a pig, which, as its exterior has had no conv tact with powdered or um'educed mixture, is

devoid of crust, or in other words, the ig of carbid is of the same purity and ric ness 35,upon its exterior as it is throughout its interior. The die serves to limit the zone of fusion and insure that all material which enters it shall become fused and reduced, and separates the unreduced mixture above from the 40 solidified carbid or pig beneath, The newly formed liquid carbid is confined Within the die and upheld upon the pig of carbid beneath, which substantially closes the die and forms a movable bottom therefor.

J lower portion of the die may be artificially cooled, as by bringing it into proximity to a Water-jacketed shell or casing of cast iron. To prevent adhesion between the partially cooled and plastic carbid and the die, the

the'zoneof fusion around the pencil or pen' opening through the latter is preferably made tapering so as to enlar e downwardly.

oils, this zone being of greater or less width according to the amount of electric energy that is expended in the furnace. For example ina continuous or double-pencil furnace expending six thousand amperes at twenty- To assist the cooling of the'carbid the of fusion.

five volts, the zone of fusion will extend about .four inches outside the extreme outer dimensions 'of the pair of pencils. Hence in such case the opening in the die should not exceed the outline prescribed by this fourinch limit in. order to insure the fusion and reduction of all the powdered mixture entering the. die and thereby insure the production of a crustless pi of carbid. In a singlepencil furnace the die should constitute an electrode so that the arc shall pass between the pencil and die and thereby maintain the zone of fusion throughout-the lnterspace. In

such case the limit of size of opening in the 7 die is determined by the length of are or incandescent zone maintainable by the electromotive force applled. Inasmuch as there is some consumption orburnmg away of the carbon forming the die so that normallyits opening would gradually enlarge, it is practicallydesirable to make the die in sections or segments byarranging bars or slabs of carbon in an approximately radial manner with their inner ends meeting to form within them the die opening, the slabs being longitudinally movable so that they may be fed forward from time to time to'co'mpensate for the consumption occurring at their inner ends. I

The .die must be made of or lined with a highl T refractory material in order to with- St8,Il( the intense heat. It may be electroconductive or not, according to whether it forms one of the electrodes or not. .In any case, how ever, carbon is the preferable material for the die, or at least for that ortion thereof which is closely adjacent to t is zone Graphite is the preferable form of carbon, graphitized carbon being preferable for use as an electrode, the high resistance of molded graphite rendering it unsuitable. In any case, however, the lower part of the die is preferably of graphite, although firebrick or other materialmay be used.

My improved recess may be practiced with various kin s or types of electric furfeed may be elfected by raising the encil or pencils and the die as the'pig is bui t up, or

by lowering the pig, leaving the pencils and dle stationary.

To make the practical application of my invention clear to those skilled in the art, I will proceed to describe the same more in detail with reference to the accompanying.

drawings, which show essential portions of different types of electric furnaces.

Figure 1 1s a vertical section of an upright single-pencil furnace having means for'feeding the pig downwardly and showing the electric connections in diagram; Fig. 2 is a vertical section showing a construction of,

electrodes and die adaptable for such a furnace; Fig. 3 is a plan of the die of Fig. 2

For example, the furnace may have showing the pencil in crossesection; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section showing a double pencil furnace; F' 5 is a similar sec- (pencil urnace showing a pencil or electrode connected tolone tenninal of the circuit, and B designates the carbon die which ma or may not be connected to the other terminal so as to constitute the other electrode. If not so connected a second pencil is rovided as shown in Fig. 4, whereA and are the respective pencils. The die may be built up of slabs, blocks or bricks of carbon in any suitable form, as for example as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, or preferably it is made u of a suitable number of. bars or slabs of car on arranged radially, the

. inner ends of the slabs abutting or nearly so to fusion.

form between them the opening of the die as shown in Fig. 3. The inner face or opening of the die is preferably taperin so as to expand downwardly as shown in igs. l and 4, which in the construction shown in Fig. 3 is readily accomplished by tilti the carbon slabs to an angle as shown iri fi ig. 2. The pencil A is of such size as to leave an annular spree C between it and the die. It is through t 's annular space that the mixture or material D of lime and carbon is passed. This space within the die constitutes the zone of In this s ace the material is reduced and li uefie so that it forms a pool of molten car id somewhat as shown at E, the carbid subsequently solidifying and formrngra pig or ingot F.

' he current is supplied from a generator G, which may be either a direct or alternating ,current generator, and be connected directly to the electrodes, that is, to the pencil A and die B, or the two encils A A, as the case may be. Preferab y however it is an alternating generator, and a transformer H of any suitable type is interposed. This should be a ste -down transformer adapted to reduce a 'gh voltage between the line conductors J K to a ow voltage between the furnace conductors a b. It is preferable that the latter voltage be automatically varied b the-transformer (or equivalently by an a unct.thereto in the form of a constant current regulating coil) so as to produce a substantially constant current in the secondary circuit irrespective of variations 1n the internal resistance of the furnace; but

1 this forms no part of my invention.

The raw material whichis reduced in the zone of fusion and forms a molten pool of carbid beneath takes the shapeof the intenor or ope in the die, and, being graduallydowere or fed downward asit recedes from the electric are or zone of highest uncandescenbe gradually solidifies, Its sohdlfication firs v t at its exterior. in contact with the die where it is slightly cooled by the die, the latter being long or deep enough in proportion to the rate of movement and the intensity of the heat, to insure that the material shall harden on its exteriorbefore in its downward movement it entirely clears the die. Thus adjacent tothe lower part of the die the carbid has ap roximat'ely the form ofa shell of solidifie material of greater or less thickness inclosing within it a bod of molten carbid,

and as the heat is gradu y radiated from the are fixed worm wheels M M turned by worms N N or'i a shaft on which is fixed an operating wheel 0 which may be 'turned by hand" or byany suitable mechanism. From time to time the cooler portion of thepig hanging below the feed rollers L L may be air of Toinsure that the carbid shall be sufli-p ciently hardened -or solidified before it emer from the bottom of the die, it refe ble to provide a 'water jacket P ormed in a cast iron shell Q- which surrounds and supports the die. By circulating water through this jacket the lower part of the die is ra rdl cooled. Normally the pig or inot s o d be sufiiciently chilled to retain its or'm before emerging from the die, so that W with the flaring die shown in Fig. 1 the ingot will be somewhat smaller than the lower mouth of the die. In some cases however the proportions may be such that with a 'ven rate of feed the carbid may emerge om the die in plastic condition so as to expand before hardening, or the feed may be at such a rate that the li uid carbid is Ii 'arated beneath the bottom of the die and overflows, quickly becomin solidified upon the extenor of the pig, w 'ch latter in such'case becomes of eater diameter than the die opening. Eithhr of these conditions is indicated in Fi 5. In' any case it will beseen that it is a c aracteristic of my process that the material which enters the die is wholly fused and reduced in the are or zone of fusion, and is shaped b contact with the die; hence only substantial y pure carbid is discharged beneath the die, unaccompanied by any artially fusedor partially-reduced materia so that the pig 0f carbid is of substantially full purity and richness to its very exterior, and as no outer crust of unreduced material.

The ig in its progress below the die is prefera ly unaccompanied by any of the unreduced mixture, so thatnoneof theiatter i139 I temperature part may be of coarsely comminuted coke.

requires to be elevated and re fed to the furrom injury by the too unreduced mixture descending around the pig,- yet. my invention will not be avoided by the admission of unreduced mixture .to the space around the newly formed pig; such ad.-

mlssion will not form the crust which it is the object of my invention to avoid, since when thecarbid has cooled sufliciently to solidify, it is no longer hotenough to fusethe powdered mixture orfthe lime therein so as to form" a crust. Suehfusion and crusting can occur only in proximity to the zone of fusion where the carbid is liquefied, and where the is above the fusing point of lime. i When the die 13 forms one of the electrodes, its upper part should he of conductive carbon (amorphous or graphitized), but itslower molded graphite or even of firebrick. In Fig. 1 the die is shown as di vided into an upper part B of carbon and a lower part Bof graphite orfirebrick. Even cast iron if suitably cooled by a water-jacket may serve as the lower portion of the die, if

sufficiently removed from the zone of fusion. Thus the lower water-jacket P in Fig. 1 may serve as the lower part'of the die.

My invention does not exclude the employment of a pencil which projects to some extent down within the die opening, as shown for example in Fig. 5, thereby leaving an annular space between, across which the arc passes and through which the material is fed this feature, however, forms nopart of my invention.

My invention permits of the use of limestone instead of lime, which heretofore has been impracticable in an ingot furnace on account of the hardness and density of the crust formed when limestone was used.

My invention enables. the mixed raw materials (lime or limestone and coke or other form of carbon) to be used in coarser form than has heretofore been feasible in an ingot furnace. Instead of these materials being finelyv ground or pulverized and intimately commingled, they need only be coarsely broken or comminuted and mixed-together, I

thereby avoiding considerable Heretofore the use of co'arse lumps impracticable because the fusing of would cause itto extend outward expense. has been the lime through means of protecting the heat from the pig. In I the comparatively large interstices between the carbon lumps and form a crust of excessive thickness, :1 result which is avoided in my v process. I

. y invention is not limited strictly to the production of calcium carbid, since it is ap plicable to the production of any other substance by electric smelting or reduction which has similar properties, that is, which if produced by smelting fusion or reduction within a mass ofthe raw material, results in duced or only partly reduced raw material product.

modified in its application to varying types or kinds of electric furnaces, without departing from its essential features or characteristics.

I claim as my invention:

1. The roduction of calcium carbid by fusing and reducing the entire mixture by passing it through a zone of fusion and discharging pig, so that the pig is devoid of crust.

2. The production of calcium carbid by fusing and reducing the mixture and confining. the fused. reducedmaterial within Walls in contact therewith, while supporting it by the solidified product beneath.

'3.-The production of calcium carbid by fusing and reducing the entire mixture by passing itthrough a zone of fusion, the fused reduced material being maintained Within and bounded by a die opening, and discharging the solidifying carbid therefrom as a pig, so that the pig is devoid of crust.

wherein it is reduced and through a die which separates 'the' unreduced, -mixture above from the solidified carbid beneath so as to forma crustl'ess carbid. 5. The production of calcium carbid by passing the entire mixture throu h a zone of fusion wherein it isredueed and through a die in which the carbid hardens sufficiently to determine the shape of the pig. 6. The production of calcium carbid by fusing and reducing themixture While confining the fused reduced material within walls in contact therewith, supporting the fused reduced material on the solidified carbid beneath, and discharging the .solidifying carbid therefronr as a pig, the pig being exposed beneath the furnace outlet to cool it.

7. The production of calcium carbid fusing and reducing the entire mixture passing it progressively through a zone fusion, and discharging the molten carbid therefrom into a molten mass of carbid main tained adjacent to the zone of fusion, and progressively displacing the product beyond the formation of a crust of fused and unre My invention may be greatly varied or.

thereduced product therefrom as a 4." The production of calcium carbid by passing the mixture through a zone of fusion around the mass of completely reduced 7 said zone so that it may harden into a pig of confining it until it solidifies, whereby it is crustless carbid. l discharged as a pig.

8. Electric reduction by passing the raw 1 In witness whereof, Ihave hereunto si ned material and reducing agent through a zone my name in the presence of two subscri ing 5 of fusion and reduction maintained. by a suitwitnesses.

able current between electrodes, while the material is confined Within walls so as to fuse JESSE CRITZ KING VVitnes'ses: v

ARTHUR O. FRASER, FRED WHITE.

and reduce the entire material within such walls, and progressively discharging the 10 fused and reduc material therclrom While 

